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An original and thought-provoking text, Russian and Soviet History uses noteworthy themes and important events from Russian history to spark classroom discussion. Consisting of twenty essays written by experts in each area, the book does not simply repeat the conventional themes found in nearly all Russian history texts, anthologies, and documentary compilations. Rather, it showcases current thinking on Russian cultural, political, economic, and social history from the end of the sixteenth century to the demise of the Soviet "experiment."

Informed by archival work in the former Soviet Union and a broad range of published sources, this book is intended to introduce students to Russian history in an accessible and provocative format. Its eclectic essays offer readers an incomparable taste of the complexity and richness of Russia as it has evolved from late Muscovy to the modern era. This text is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in Russian history and is a great resource for scholars in the field.

An intriguing and diverse collection of essays on Russian and Soviet history.--Thomas Lahusen, University of Toronto

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 1. Introduction: The Disturbing Legacy of the Time of Troubles Part 3 The Russian Eighteenth Century Chapter 4 2. The Revolution of Peter the Great Chapter 5 3. Masks and Masquerade in the Court of Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1742) Chapter 6 4. Russia's "First" Scientist: the (Self-) Fashioning of Mikhail Lomonosov Chapter 7 5. Andrei Bolotov: Portrait of an Enlightened Seigneur Chapter 8 6. Did Catherine the Great and Grigorii Potemkin Wed? Some Myths, Facts, and Observations on Secret Royal Marriages Part 9 The Russian Nineteenth Century Chapter 10 7. The Invention of "Russianness" in the Late Eighteenth-Early Nineteenth Century Chapter 11 8. Starts and Stops: The Development of Official Diplomatic Relations between Russia and the United States Chapter 12 9. The Decembrist Pavel Pestel and the Roots of Russian Republicanism Chapter 13 10. Economic Backwardness in Geographical Perspective: Russia's Nineteenth Century Chapter 14 11. The Trial of Vera Zasulich Chapter 15 12. The Zemstvo in Late Imperial Russia: Social and Political Change in the Countryside Part 16 Soviet Russia Chapter 17 13. Popular Aspirations, the New Politics, and the October Revolution Chapter 18 14. The Jewish Question in the Soviet Union, 1917-1953 Chapter 19 15. Aviation Cinema in Stalin's Russia: Collectivity, Conformity, and the Conflict with Fascism Chapter 20 16. Political Loyalties in Leningrad During the "Great Patriotic War" Chapter 21 17. Empire Besieged: Postwar Politics 1945-1953 Chapter 22 18. Nikita Khrushchev: The Impact of Personality on Politics Chapter 23 19. Late-Soviet Prerequisites for Post-Soviet Disasters: A Memoir Chapter 24 20. Gorbachev and the Soviet Collapse: Stirrings of Political Accountability? Chapter 25 Suggested Readings